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Why paid traffic is better for newbies...

by Cataclysm1987
145 replies
How many times have you been on the Warrior Forum and heard someone say "If you're new to IM, stick with free traffic methods! Avoid PPC, banners, solo ads, and anything that costs money because you might lose money!"?

Since being on the Warrior Forum, I have heard this line repeated over and over again.

And frankly, I'm a little sick of it.

It took me almost a year to start making 100 dollars a day consistently due in no small part to the fact that most of my traffic was coming from free sources.

Do you know how insanely frustrating it is waiting for all those trickles of traffic to finally build into a decent sized stream of profit?

Anyways, here's my point:

If you are a well funded newbie, there is no reason you should be afraid to go straight into paid traffic methods. You will quite likely succeed more quickly than most people because you will have plenty of traffic guaranteed.

The reason people say newbies should stay away from paid traffic is because most newbies make the mistake of risking more money than they can afford to lose.

They will have 100 dollars in the bank and throw that all at a PPC campaign hoping to make a profit only to watch the last of their money get drained by IM.

But this doesn't mean paid traffic is bad for newbies. Quite the opposite in my opinion because regardless of whether or not that newbie profited from the campaign, a huge lesson was learned.

Ever hear the saying that the formula for success is just doubling your rate of failure?

It's a lot easier to do that with paid traffic than with free traffic.

Here are my favorite reasons why newbies should experiment with paid traffic in addition to what they're already doing:
  • Paid traffic solves the initial problem of zero traffic easily. How many newbies on here are sitting around with a site that has no traffic coming to it and want more? How long do you think you are going to spend trying to figure out SEO, video marketing and all this other stuff before you have a decent revenue stream?
  • Paid traffic is 100 percent scalable. If you succeed with it starting out, you can increase your budget and increase your profits, making the transition into full time IM much easier than with SEO or social media which is more based on popularity.
  • Paid traffic is not as expensive as people think. Sure, Google PPC is super high cost, but there are plenty of cheap media buys, solo ads, list swaps and other alternatives that a newbie can afford if you have a day job to fund your IM adventures.
  • Paid traffic increases the rate of failure. You know when a paid traffic campaign converts within a few days. How long for an SEO or social media campaign? Could be months. That is precious time you are wasting.
  • Paid traffic makes you much more accountable for conversions and therefore a much better marketer. It's the difference between creating a site and hoping some of the free traffic converts but not really losing anything if it does and creating a site that has to convert to yield a profit on what you've invested. Being in that pressure situation makes you learn fast which is a great source of growth for newbies.
  • Paid traffic is a better way to build your list. Ever try building a list through SEO and article marketing? It takes forever because you can't target a specific landing page, rather you just have to get them on your site and get them to opt in somewhere. With paid traffic, you can point your traffic where you want it to make sure they hit your sales funnel exactly where you want them to, especially with services like solo ads.

Anyways, that's my rant for today.

So to the newbies, stop cowering in fear at the sound of paid traffic. If you make even 8 dollars an hour at your job and spend 10 hours a day working on IM, that's 80 dollars a day you are throwing away if it isn't making you money.

Isn't it time you considered paid traffic as a newbie?
#newbies #paid #traffic
  • Profile picture of the author JSProjects
    You can burn through money fast if you don't know what you're doing. So paid traffic can be pretty dangerous for a newbie. But I do understand your point.

    Edit: I probably should have worded the above a bit better. Yes, it can be dangerous if newbies jump blindly into paid traffic methods. But, if they're willing to do a bit of research and set proper budgets they should be pretty safe. It's also a matter of knowing when to turn off a campaign if it hasn't been turning a profit.

    I did PPC when I was new and turned a small profit. But that was back when Adwords was a breeze and didn't have a million restrictions. These days it's MUCH harder for a newbie to dive in. (I know there are plenty of other paid methods.)

    An alternative for the budget-restricted newbie is to join a handful of high traffic, niche related forums and start posting. It's a pretty easy way to start bringing in VERY targeted traffic at no cost. It has always worked well for me and is some of the highest converting traffic available.
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    • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
      Originally Posted by JSProjects View Post

      You can burn through money fast if you don't know what you're doing. So paid traffic can be pretty dangerous for a newbie. But I do understand your point.
      I agree, and that's why most people talk themselves out of it, but I think it's a shame.

      Burning through money isn't what newbie marketers should fear. It's never making a dime that should scare the crap out of them. That is the real beast to overcome.

      Originally Posted by JSProjects View Post

      I did PPC when I was new and turned a small profit. But that was back when Adwords was a breeze and didn't have a million restrictions. These days it's MUCH harder for a newbie to dive in. (I know there are plenty of other paid methods.)

      An alternative to the budget-restricted newbie is to join a handful of high traffic, niche related forums and start posting. It's a pretty easy way to start bringing in VERY targeted traffic at no cost. It has always worked well for me and is some of the highest converting traffic available.
      Ah yes, the good ol days.

      You can still get targeted clicks for .20 to .50 cents per click from the right solo ads and PPC campaigns in second tier ad networks. It's not all super pricey.

      And as far as your alternative, it isn't bad either. I just hate so much how much time it takes to get a real stream up and running.
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      • Profile picture of the author JSProjects
        Originally Posted by Cataclysm1987 View Post

        I agree, and that's why most people talk themselves out of it, but I think it's a shame.

        Burning through money isn't what newbie marketers should fear. It's never making a dime that should scare the crap out of them. That is the real beast to overcome.



        Ah yes, the good ol days.

        You can still get targeted clicks for .20 to .50 cents per click from the right solo ads and PPC campaigns in second tier ad networks. It's not all super pricey.

        And as far as your alternative, it isn't bad either. I just hate so much how much time it takes to get a real stream up and running.
        I cannot tell you how much I miss 5-10 cent clicks and $30 conversions. Those were definitely the days.

        PPC is definitely a way to get started. I just think it can be dangerous for those who jump right in without any research. That said, it's ridiculously easy to find Adwords coupons and start out with a $100 budget. You can target long-tails, get a few conversions, and start scaling it up.

        I know there is way more than just Google Adwords. Just using it as an example.
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        • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
          Originally Posted by mlord10 View Post

          Funny thing is that many people see it as paid vs. free...why not just use both? After all, the end goal is to get as much targeted traffic as possible through efficient solutions.
          That's not a bad message to take home from this.

          I am not AGAINST using free traffic. I think it's great. But the cost of time is horrible if you aren't converting well and tracking your progress.

          Originally Posted by DanielleS View Post

          OP,
          Exceptional post. I'd like to add one more benefit to paid traffic.

          Legal Contractual Obligation- If you pay a publisher to display your ad, and they don't, you have legal recourse.

          If you don't pay for exposure, the 'publisher' of whatever medium your 'ad' is displayed on can take it away from you at any time.
          This isn't a bad one to mention.

          Paid traffic in general is just a lot more reliable period. It has a tangible cost, therefore a tangible outcome. I would state it even more bluntly than you did.

          Originally Posted by DanielleS View Post

          The question is: Would you rather waste 2 years trying to figure out and harness the free resources that work and bring revenue and profit, or would you rather invest 2-3 months up front, learning exactly what you need to do to arrive at the 'scientific' plan and execution?
          Exactly.

          Take your pick folks. A year or two of bum marketing or a few months of PPC and a few grand to get started.

          Not that you have to strictly do one or the other, but that's basically the trade off, and a lot of people end up worse off because they picked free traffic simply because that's what everyone on WF told them to do.

          Originally Posted by JSProjects View Post

          I cannot tell you how much I miss 5-10 cent clicks and $30 conversions. Those were definitely the days.
          Don't we all...
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    • Profile picture of the author Batou
      Originally Posted by JSProjects View Post

      You can burn through money fast if you don't know what you're doing. So paid traffic can be pretty dangerous for a newbie. But I do understand your point.

      I agree. The free Ad credits you get with most major hosting companies are a great way to test the waters.
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    • Profile picture of the author Tadresources
      Originally Posted by JSProjects View Post

      You can burn through money fast if you don't know what you're doing. So paid traffic can be pretty dangerous for a newbie. But I do understand your point.
      Agreed. I think paid traffic is a no no for a newbie and is better left to someone with a bit more experience.
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      • Profile picture of the author JSProjects
        Originally Posted by Tadresources View Post

        Agreed. I think paid traffic is a no no for a newbie and is better left to someone with a bit more experience.
        I probably should have worded that better. Newbies can get into paid traffic. They just have to make sure they spend a little bit of time learning the process. It's very dangerous to go into it blindly. But if they do some research, set budgets, and have an idea of what they're doing they'll probably be safe.
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      • Profile picture of the author Troy_Phillips
        Originally Posted by Tadresources View Post

        Agreed. I think paid traffic is a no no for a newbie and is better left to someone with a bit more experience.

        The default advice of do keyword research .. get as close to an EMD for a long tail ... Write articles until your are blue in the face .. is a major factor in newbie failure.

        It takes a lot more skill to get to G1 R1, and stay there for a keyword worth it's salt than it does to simply find the proud owner of G1 R1 and strike up a media deal.

        It excites me to no end to find someone ranking for a good long tail and using adsense to monetize. They are usually averaging less than $5 a month with the site.

        This is not because they are not getting traffic but because they are hitting the wrong alternative keywords and getting low paying ads on their sites.

        Offer this webmaster double or triple what they are making and see how well your Paid traffic pays you.
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        • Profile picture of the author dakar
          Originally Posted by Troy_Phillips View Post

          The default advice of do keyword research .. get as close to an EMD for a long tail ... Write articles until your are blue in the face .. is a major factor in newbie failure.

          It takes a lot more skill to get to G1 R1, and stay there for a keyword worth it's salt than it does to simply find the proud owner of G1 R1 and strike up a media deal.

          It excites me to no end to find someone ranking for a good long tail and using adsense to monetize. They are usually averaging less than $5 a month with the site.

          This is not because they are not getting traffic but because they are hitting the wrong alternative keywords and getting low paying ads on their sites.

          Offer this webmaster double or triple what they are making and see how well your Paid traffic pays you.
          I like your advice.
          Could you explain a little more what you mean by the sentence in bold?
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          • Profile picture of the author Troy_Phillips
            Originally Posted by dakar View Post

            I like your advice.
            Could you explain a little more what you mean by the sentence in bold?
            The words on the page determine your click pay out on adsense sites. Just as an example .. email marketing fan as the site .... this site is ranking well for email marketing in natural search but the ad bot picks up the fan in the title. Now instead of having $3 clicks for email marketing related ads .. the ads showing are for fans .. which click out at about $0.07.

            The webmaster is making maybe $10 a month from these low click outs. Offer them $20 to drop adsense for a month and use your ads instead .. many will jump at the chance.
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            • Profile picture of the author dakar
              Originally Posted by Troy_Phillips View Post

              The words on the page determine your click pay out on adsense sites. Just as an example .. email marketing fan as the site .... this site is ranking well for email marketing in natural search but the ad bot picks up the fan in the title. Now instead of having $3 clicks for email marketing related ads .. the ads showing are for fans .. which click out at about $0.07.

              The webmaster is making maybe $10 a month from these low click outs. Offer them $20 to drop adsense for a month and use your ads instead .. many will jump at the chance.
              Got it. Makes sense. Thanks!
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        • Profile picture of the author dizen
          Thanks mate , but doesnt it mean that I need to have my own product?. If it is other people product, then the g1 r1 site owner will bypass me and put his own aff link instead, correct me if I am wrong.

          Originally Posted by Troy_Phillips View Post

          The default advice of do keyword research .. get as close to an EMD for a long tail ... Write articles until your are blue in the face .. is a major factor in newbie failure.

          It takes a lot more skill to get to G1 R1, and stay there for a keyword worth it's salt than it does to simply find the proud owner of G1 R1 and strike up a media deal.

          It excites me to no end to find someone ranking for a good long tail and using adsense to monetize. They are usually averaging less than $5 a month with the site.

          This is not because they are not getting traffic but because they are hitting the wrong alternative keywords and getting low paying ads on their sites.

          Offer this webmaster double or triple what they are making and see how well your Paid traffic pays you.
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          • Profile picture of the author Troy_Phillips
            Originally Posted by dizen View Post

            Thanks mate , but doesnt it mean that I need to have my own product?. If it is other people product, then the g1 r1 site owner will bypass me and put his own aff link instead, correct me if I am wrong.
            Not a full blown product but maybe a $7 hot report. PLR is good for this if you skip the free stuff and buy a good package. But you are correct .. if it is a straight affiliate offer ... you need to take a slightly different route.

            One closing note .... ig it takes 50 articles to get your site to number one would it not be easier to put 5000 of those words in a completely unique hot report and use it as either email bait .. 100% commissions ... or as leverage in media buys?
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  • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
    Originally Posted by Alyona The Publicist View Post

    Normally newbies don't have much extra cash to invest (with all the risk it entails!), so my advice is to be cautious and monitor your campaigns carefully
    Right, but I still think as an entrepreneur you are better off losing everything in your bank account and learning than just sitting around and making zero.

    In my opinion, that is the biggest risk of all is not that you lose money. People lose money all the time when they go to the mall and buy crap they don't need.

    Rather, it's not making money and learning nothing that keeps people from success.

    Totally see your point though.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nick Lotter
    Funny you should bring this up, because I've been thinking seriously about trying some paid traffic sources for the last couple of days. I've always relied on free traffic sources, but its time I tried some advertising.

    I'm not really that keen on Adwords or Facebook advertising though.

    Could anybody share some good paid traffic sources for ad campaigns that they've done well with?
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    • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
      Originally Posted by Nick Lotter View Post

      Funny you should bring this up, because I've been thinking seriously about trying some paid traffic sources for the last couple of days. I've always relied on free traffic sources, but its time I tried some advertising.

      I'm not really that keen on Adwords or Facebook advertising though.

      Could anybody share some good paid traffic sources for ad campaigns that they've done well with?
      Solo ads, my man!

      Check this out:

      Reed Floren's Solo Ad Directory

      Use that to build your list.
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      • Profile picture of the author Nick Lotter
        Originally Posted by Cataclysm1987 View Post

        Solo ads, my man!

        Check this out:

        Reed Floren's Solo Ad Directory

        Use that to build your list.
        The "thanks" buttons seem to have disappeared (well, for me anyway), so thanks a bunch for that mate!
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        "Do not wait to strike until the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking."
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      • Profile picture of the author Rally Writer
        Yes! I am a newbie.

        Paid traffic is good if you impatient type like me. Wanting to see results as soon as you set up blogs, campaigns etc. But the downside is when you dont see results. It demoralizes and always keep on doing the wrong things.

        I stop using G Cash Detect, PPC, CPV and even FB Ads. Results - No sale.

        Set up your blog with good SEO and with a little help of paid traffic (always set our budget upfront), I had good results in Amazon sales
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      • Profile picture of the author mootonandy
        Originally Posted by Cataclysm1987 View Post

        Solo ads, my man!

        Check this out:

        Reed Floren's Solo Ad Directory

        Use that to build your list.
        Can you send people straight to a CPA offer with these ads?
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      • Profile picture of the author ValWu
        Originally Posted by Cataclysm1987 View Post

        Solo ads, my man!

        Check this out:

        Reed Floren's Solo Ad Directory

        Use that to build your list.
        I agree with you!

        Solo Ads are great. Paid someone with list subscribers to send out your messages/offers is a great way to build a list for yourself. Build relationship with the list then quickly turn them into a more responsive buyers list.

        Of course, testing and tracking must in place when doing solo ads. And only send targeted offers to targeted audiences.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nick Lotter
    To add to your original post, though, I agree with you that newbies shouldn't be afraid to test paid advertising out. After all, any brick and mortar business would be dead in the water if they didn't have an advertising budget which they use well in conjunction with a good marketing plan.

    I think the important first step should be making sure you have a good landing page that converts well, though. There's no point in paying for traffic to go to a page that doesn't convert. So before learning the ropes on getting good paid traffic at an affordable price, its best to study and learn how to create good converting landing pages. Then take it from there.
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  • Profile picture of the author badboy703
    what's best solo ads, PPC, or a banner ad on the forum?
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  • Profile picture of the author cashfinder
    if your new and have ADSENSE ads on your sites, be careful adsense does not allowed paid advertising your account could be cancel if they find out. Only Allowed SEO TECHNIQUES, natural traffic.
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    • Profile picture of the author Rob Howard
      Originally Posted by cashfinder View Post

      if your new and have ADSENSE ads on your sites, be careful adsense does not allowed paid advertising your account could be cancel if they find out. Only Allowed SEO TECHNIQUES, natural traffic.
      Paid Traffic Is More Than JUST GOOGLE PPC!

      Sorry to yell. But the big misconception about paid traffic is that Google is the only place to get it.

      Rob
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      • Profile picture of the author Troy_Phillips
        Originally Posted by Rob Howard View Post

        Paid Traffic Is More Than JUST GOOGLE PPC!

        Sorry to yell. But the big misconception about paid traffic is that Google is the only place to get it.

        Rob
        Thank you Rob .... people act like I am lying them when I tell them I buy traffic but no longer use Google.
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        • Profile picture of the author socomplete
          From my experience, I reached a $99 revenue $45 day profit with paid traffic as an affiliate. I think that having paid and free traffic integrated into a traffic generation plan is always smart.

          The best source of traffic is a responsive email list though.
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  • Profile picture of the author Charlotte Jay
    Yes, for some noobs paid traffic is the best way to go. Last year I met a gentleman who had lost $15,000 on PPC. It was horrifying, it really was. He was retired military, understood the power of the internet but was taught all the wrong methods to drive traffic. At the time I did not feel comfortable trying to guide him in the right direction, but he has since "righted" the boat and is making that money back. He actually got on board with the Chris Ferrell membership and is doing very, very well.

    My point is that yes, I think you are right, but we need to educate before we push the paid methods on them. I am still learning traffic methods and I haven't yet bitten the bullet and plunked down my cash, but I feel that once I have solid grasp of how to use it properly I will be incorporating paid traffic into my bag of tricks.
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    • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
      Originally Posted by badboy703 View Post

      what's best solo ads, PPC, or a banner ad on the forum?
      I say solo ads honestly.

      Those have the highest success rate of any paid advertising because it is literally a recommendation from the owner of a list. Hard to get more targeted than that.

      Originally Posted by Rally Writer View Post

      Yes! I am a newbie.

      Paid traffic is good if you impatient type like me. Wanting to see results as soon as you set up blogs, campaigns etc. But the downside is when you dont see results. It demoralizes and always keep on doing the wrong things.

      I stop using G Cash Detect, PPC, CPV and even FB Ads. Results - No sale.

      Set up your blog with good SEO and with a little help of paid traffic (always set our budget upfront), I had good results in Amazon sales
      Hey Rally, look at it this way. The same thing probably would've happened with natural traffic just over the course of many more months rather than immediately.

      Take what you've experienced, learn from it and move on stronger than you were before. Invest in your product funnel and building a list focusing on long term revenue and creating a relationship with customers and you might have more success.

      Originally Posted by Charlotte Jay View Post

      Yes, for some noobs paid traffic is the best way to go. Last year I met a gentleman who had lost $15,000 on PPC. It was horrifying, it really was. He was retired military, understood the power of the internet but was taught all the wrong methods to drive traffic. At the time I did not feel comfortable trying to guide him in the right direction, but he has since "righted" the boat and is making that money back. He actually got on board with the Chris Ferrell membership and is doing very, very well.

      My point is that yes, I think you are right, but we need to educate before we push the paid methods on them. I am still learning traffic methods and I haven't yet bitten the bullet and plunked down my cash, but I feel that once I have solid grasp of how to use it properly I will be incorporating paid traffic into my bag of tricks.
      That's a sad story, but at the same time an awesome one.

      And it's part of my point, which is that people who use paid traffic learn IM a lot faster. They have to or else they sink!

      And of course, there is nothing more important than being educated when you start out. I never said newbies should go into paid traffic swinging blind, just that they shouldn't be afraid of it!
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  • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
    Also one more thing I want to add.

    If you are a newbie planning on using paid traffic, MAKE SURE YOU BUILD A LIST.

    Since I've started IM a couple years ago, list building has been one of the few things that has always paid me back. I never had to say OH NO HOW AM I GOING TO PAY AWEBER THIS MONTH because AWeber was paying me every single month.

    If you lose money on a paid campaign, having a list is the best way to recoup the loss over time and make it a gain.

    So if you take my advice to heart but you don't build a list and do something stupid like direct link to an affiliate product, well...then you are really missing out on how to do paid traffic properly.
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    • Profile picture of the author mrjosco
      Originally Posted by Cataclysm1987 View Post

      So if you take my advice to heart but you don't build a list and do something stupid like direct link to an affiliate product, well...then you are really missing out on how to do paid traffic properly.
      It should be noted that 'direct linking' and affiliate product is not always "stupid".

      I have a product I direct link with targeted keywords that brings in an average of $60+ for every $8 in advertisements. I am scaled as much as I can because of the size of the niche.

      Some would say "oh, but you would make so much more with a list" which is why I also have a squeeze page building a list (with paid traffic) and an SEO'd site in the same niche building a good size list.

      The thing is, this niche is very 'narrow' and doesn't really fit sending solo ad offers to other people's list.

      So I have two lists, and one direct linked offer. All are bringing me income - and the direct link from PPC takes NOTHING from me. Just check the budget and clicks each week vs sales to make sure it is still converting. Easy extra income.
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  • Profile picture of the author mlord10
    First of all, SEO/social media, etc. traffic is not "free" in the first place...it simply has no monetary cost. However, if you are sitting around counting on trickles of traffic from "free" resources then there is a big cost: opportunity cost.

    While paid traffic can be fickle, it does allow newbies to accelerate their efforts if they learn a few reliable paid traffic strategies, and take the time to study & apply them. Plus, if you fall fast then you can get back up!

    I'm a big proponent of SEO (which some would call free), because once you get a site ranking well & your blog rolling you can get a ton of qualified traffic. However, I think the best strategy for long-term success is to build your blog to authority status while at the same time investing in paid traffic methods (solo ads, media buys, etc.)

    Funny thing is that many people see it as paid vs. free...why not just use both? After all, the end goal is to get as much targeted traffic as possible through efficient solutions.
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    • Profile picture of the author VanessaB
      OP,
      Exceptional post. I'd like to add one more benefit to paid traffic.

      Legal Contractual Obligation- If you pay a publisher to display your ad, and they don't, you have legal recourse.

      If you don't pay for exposure, the 'publisher' of whatever medium your 'ad' is displayed on can take it away from you at any time.

      Another BIG misconception is the 'risk.'

      It's actually not that risky, IF you know a few things:

      • How to analyze statistical data on response rates and demographics (for projected responses, targeted advertising and price point thresholds)
      • How to calculate the lifetime value of a customer
      • How to build sales funnels.
      It does take 'some' time to learn these skills, but I would say not nearly as much time as too many waste, floundering around trying this free traffic source or that free traffic source.

      The question is: Would you rather waste 2 years trying to figure out and harness the free resources that work and bring revenue and profit, or would you rather invest 2-3 months up front, learning exactly what you need to do to arrive at the 'scientific' plan and execution?

      -Dani
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  • Profile picture of the author Bobdarko
    I need traffic to start building my list. Just yesterday i added my FREE product to my sign up (7 Profitable Niche Ideas) I think my first venture will be with solo ads. I will give it ago and let people know how it went on my blog.
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    • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
      Originally Posted by Bobdarko View Post

      I need traffic to start building my list. Just yesterday i added my FREE product to my sign up (7 Profitable Niche Ideas) I think my first venture will be with solo ads. I will give it ago and let people know how it went on my blog.
      Please do. Judging by the 14 million Alexa rank on your site I'm betting you could use a traffic boost.
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  • Profile picture of the author IMHunter
    Paid Traffic is a very good and converting traffic but newbies don't know much about the landing page optimization and other strategies. They could burn lots of money in Paid Traffic.
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    • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
      Originally Posted by IMHunter View Post

      Paid Traffic is a very good and converting traffic but newbies don't know much about the landing page optimization and other strategies. They could burn lots of money in Paid Traffic.
      I take it you didn't read my entire post?

      Burning money is the least of your problems in IM. The greatest problem isn't burning money as you say but rather wasting time and not learning. Those are guaranteed obstacles that will prevent success.

      Instead of worrying about losing money, which isn't a good sign that you're meant for entrepreneurship anyways, people should worry about growing and learning as much as possible. Paid traffic can help accelerate that process a bit.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kal Sallam
    You gotta weigh out your options. There are pros and cons to almost everything!

    Your supposed to be testing stuff then tweak and then tweak some more until your profitable.

    Now how do you test a campaign by having to WAIT ages for little traffic to roll in and only to find out that your campaign sucks.

    I too started to make good money relatively quickly from paid traffic sources.

    Almost all 7 fig earners I know use paid traffic and JVs non of em use Facebook umm YouTube, blog commenting LOL article marketing not even SEO!

    Paid traffic eventualy becomes FREE!

    I have never heard of an "article marketer millionaire" or a "blog commenting millionaire" but heard of millionaires being made from media buys, affiliates and JVs
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    • Profile picture of the author brit16
      Thanks for a great post! From a newbie's standpoint who has done everything for free...I got into this out of desperation to help my family. I already have a job (teaching pay sucks!), but we had a baby soon after we bought a house, etc. NONE of my day job money can go toward hoping I earn some money with a hobby . I'm sure some newbies can afford this, and in that case, I think you are right. Free traffic takes a lot of hard work and can take a good while to see any results.

      It took me almost a year of making about a $100 a month to convince myself to pay for the $19 aweber fee . I am sure I should have done it a lot sooner, but it was hard to take that risk.

      I have often wondered the specifics of "ad swaps". I have heard of them, but never really understood what exactly it involved. Would I just leave the list owner a link to my freebie to get their viewers to sign up to the list? (For a fee of course ) How do you find people in your niche that are willing to do this? I checked out the link you left earlier in the thread and did not understand if these are adswaps all for the IMing niche????

      Is there a site that has a list of available adswaps within certain niches (having nothing to do with IMing)? Thanks again! I am to the point I would like to start trying some things, but it is hard to know where and when to take the risk.
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      • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
        Originally Posted by brit16 View Post

        Thanks for a great post! From a newbie's standpoint who has done everything for free...I got into this out of desperation to help my family. I already have a job (teaching pay sucks!), but we had a baby soon after we bought a house, etc. NONE of my day job money can go toward hoping I earn some money with a hobby . I'm sure some newbies can afford this, and in that case, I think you are right. Free traffic takes a lot of hard work and can take a good while to see any results.

        It took me almost a year of making about a $100 a month to convince myself to pay for the $19 aweber fee . I am sure I should have done it a lot sooner, but it was hard to take that risk.

        I have often wondered the specifics of "ad swaps". I have heard of them, but never really understood what exactly it involved. Would I just leave the list owner a link to my freebie to get their viewers to sign up to the list? (For a fee of course ) How do you find people in your niche that are willing to do this? I checked out the link you left earlier in the thread and did not understand if these are adswaps all for the IMing niche????

        Is there a site that has a list of available adswaps within certain niches (having nothing to do with IMing)? Thanks again! I am to the point I would like to start trying some things, but it is hard to know where and when to take the risk.
        Hey Brit. You are quickly turning into one of my favorite newbies

        Yeah, those solo ads are basically for the IM niche. Sorry if that isn't yours!

        If you want solo ads in your specific niche, you really have to dig through stuff. I'd recommend contacting Clickbank product owners or bloggers in your niche to see if they are willing to do a solo ad for you.

        Make sure you track your clicks and provide an awesome reason to opt in, preferably one or two really great secrets and a few good follow ups to solidify a relationship with who you're working with.

        As far as the money goes, Not much I can do for you there. All I can say is try to make more in IM, then transition it into paid traffic a bit to diversify your traffic and make more money!
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        • Profile picture of the author realfun
          I wasted 5 years with seo, listening to the wrong people and got nowhere fast.

          Turned to PPC and things are going very well, and much quicker

          You wouldn't start a pizza shop and look to advertise for nothing (to a point), you would pay for leaflet distribution and other advetising avenue's so why start a business online using free methods and waste valuable time.

          Life is so short to waste waiting for free traffic to build up when it could be done in weeks

          If i could go back 5 years, I would of 100% started with PPC
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          • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
            Originally Posted by realfun View Post

            I wasted 5 years with seo, listening to the wrong people and got nowhere fast.

            Turned to PPC and things are going very well, and much quicker

            You wouldn't start a pizza shop and look to advertise for nothing (to a point), you would pay for leaflet distribution and other advetising avenue's so why start a business online using free methods and waste valuable time.

            Life is so short to waste waiting for free traffic to build up when it could be done in weeks

            If i could go back 5 years, I would of 100% started with PPC
            See? It's not so bad people...
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        • Profile picture of the author brit16
          Originally Posted by Cataclysm1987 View Post

          Hey Brit. You are quickly turning into one of my favorite newbies
          Thanks . When I saw it was your post I wanted to reply. You have been very helpful to me lately!

          Originally Posted by Cataclysm1987 View Post

          Yeah, those solo ads are basically for the IM niche. Sorry if that isn't yours!
          Do you know if small niches like mine, tend to do these solo ads? I'm not sure that some of the other popular blogs in my niche even have "lists". I have contacted a few of them about doing a guest post and have been turned down or not answered by all of them.

          Originally Posted by Cataclysm1987 View Post

          If you want solo ads in your specific niche, you really have to dig through stuff. I'd recommend contacting Clickbank product owners or bloggers in your niche to see if they are willing to do a solo ad for you.
          I had not thought about contacting clickbank product owners. The product I promote does not have an opt-in on it's sales page. Does it's owner still likely have a list? Also, should I contact clickbank product owners that I do not promote? Contacting the one that I do promote would be redundant, because I would be selling to people who have likely already bought her product!?

          Originally Posted by Cataclysm1987 View Post

          Make sure you track your clicks and provide an awesome reason to opt in, preferably one or two really great secrets and a few good follow ups to solidify a relationship with who you're working with.
          Would I have to do anything different than what I typically do for my list???? Offer the free ebook, send them helpful articles, success stories?

          Thanks again for all the help, sorry for sooo many questions! This is something I am really interested in, I think the traffic would be quality and that is what I am looking for .
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          • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
            Originally Posted by brit16 View Post

            Do you know if small niches like mine, tend to do these solo ads? I'm not sure that some of the other popular blogs in my niche even have "lists". I have contacted a few of them about doing a guest post and have been turned down or not answered by all of them.
            Your niche is very small, so it will be hard. There's not much I can tell you if you're already contacting people.

            Originally Posted by brit16 View Post

            I had not thought about contacting clickbank product owners. The product I promote does not have an opt-in on it's sales page. Does it's owner still likely have a list? Also, should I contact clickbank product owners that I do not promote? Contacting the one that I do promote would be redundant, because I would be selling to people who have likely already bought her product!?
            It would be pointless to contact your vendor. You should try talking to others in the pregnancy niche.

            They will have lists. Lists that have bought, not lists that have opted in.
            Originally Posted by brit16 View Post

            Would I have to do anything different than what I typically do for my list???? Offer the free ebook, send them helpful articles, success stories?
            I wish I could be of more help, but again, your niche is small. Chances are you are doing most of what you already can, but you should try to optimize your list with more aggressive means of getting opt ins.

            I'd recommend something like WP Subscribers.
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    • Profile picture of the author dakar
      Originally Posted by Kal Sallam View Post

      You gotta weigh out your options. There are pros and cons to almost everything!

      Your supposed to be testing stuff then tweak and then tweak some more until your profitable.

      Now how do you test a campaign by having to WAIT ages for little traffic to roll in and only to find out that your campaign sucks.

      I too started to make good money relatively quickly from paid traffic sources.

      Almost all 7 fig earners I know use paid traffic and JVs non of em use Facebook umm YouTube, blog commenting LOL article marketing not even SEO!

      Paid traffic eventualy becomes FREE!

      I have never heard of an "article marketer millionaire" or a "blog commenting millionaire" but heard of millionaires being made from media buys, affiliates and JVs
      Same here. The people that i know who make millions a year never used seo. They started advertising their sites from day 1. They just figured out how to make more than what they spend.
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  • Profile picture of the author yourreviewer
    The general thought process seems to be that newbies should avoid paid advertising because they have very little money to invest. Yet you will find the same newbies buy product after product and swarming the WSO section hunting for the new shiny product.

    I think for the most part they fool themselves into believing that they have no money so they can't consider paid advertising. I think deep down they have this inner fear that they will fail with paid advertising and to address this fear end up buying products because they are justifying the decision the expense as education and the methods to implement the strategies from the product are free.

    There is really no such thing as FREE traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author socialbullets
    Well i think free traffic is also better for newbies. Paid traffic can be generated by anyone having money but driving free traffic gives you experience.
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    • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
      Originally Posted by socialbullets View Post

      Well i think free traffic is also better for newbies. Paid traffic can be generated by anyone having money but driving free traffic gives you experience.
      Seriously? You think all it takes to succeed with paid traffic is money?

      Don't worry, just hand your credit card to a PPC campaign and wait for the cash to roll in! Forget about tracking, analytics, conversions, split testing, list building, sales funnels or any of the other essential IM skills necessary for paid traffic.

      Sorry, I just can't think to myself that the experience of free traffic is that much more valuable than the experience of paid traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author saiidah
    I would suggest that a newbie get a mentor who can help him understand IM better before he uses paid ads. Being a newbie means you don't know the sector well. Paid ads are dangerous if the product is not good. It's still scary to me.
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  • Profile picture of the author neowords
    I think there is no alternative to adwords traffic..
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  • Profile picture of the author moneymoguls
    Is there paid traffic available for other products? Like electronics?
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  • Profile picture of the author sundown16
    I would say "Paid" traffic for one reason only.. because it's quick and reliable
    "Free" traffic is well and dandy.. but it takes work and time to acquire the skill
    and expertise
    be very careful.. stay away from PPC if you're a newbie
    learn "paid methods" from the experts
    one site which can help you is Traffic Evolution
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    • Profile picture of the author cjreynolds
      I, like others here, have shunned the ways of paid traffic - my fear is great. But I'm sure gettin tired of waiting for traffic.

      What is the minimum budget you would recommend to get started in solo ads? Is it safe to use solo ads for adsense sites?
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  • Profile picture of the author trafficmasters
    you can try pop under traffic if your on a budget, you can geo target and pick from 300 different categories so theres room to track and scale up

    check out my sig for details

    if you have a voucher try adwords/facebook

    remember and track everything!
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  • Profile picture of the author tayuyaa
    I totally agree with Eric,

    First the #1 reason why people fail at paid traffic is because they send their traffic to an affiliate offer straight away, they dont set up a tracking system to see what works and what doenst...they dont build sales funnel...that's all...

    On a post someone said that if you sell a $10 product and you expect 3% conversion to make profit you need to pay no more to 0.30c per click, but what if you add an upsell? You can instantly pay more upfront... you can build a list of buyers etc... there is a lot do with paid traffic and 6 figures become possible once you have the skills and the bankroll

    It doesnt have to be that hard, just learn some basic such as marketing and copywriting and you can do good...

    PS: also you can start small with PPC, such as $10 per day if you want...so yes no need to burn cash...
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  • Profile picture of the author oysheee
    I really dont think paid visitor can benifit any web site. It only can increase alexa ranking nothing else. I will suggest every one to concentrate at seo. Not at paid traffic.
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    • Profile picture of the author JSProjects
      Originally Posted by oysheee View Post

      I really dont think paid visitor can benifit any web site. It only can increase alexa ranking nothing else. I will suggest every one to concentrate at seo. Not at paid traffic.
      That's a pretty broad statement. I'm assuming that you are referring to the junky "Get 10,000 visitors!!!!!" types of services.

      Legitimate paid traffic can be very profitable and beneficial if you know what you're doing.
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      • Profile picture of the author bjking
        I would like to clear up a few misconceptions about paid and free traffic and what exactly is a newbie.

        First, if you are going to generate serious traffic to your offer. In order to achieve a full time income online you must be able to generate at least 2000 visitors to your blog(s) a day. 8%-10% will see your offer on the page and about 3% of that will buy. This is assuming as the example stated above you are earning $10 per sale and you are using the search engines to generate this traffic. This means you will earning about $60 dollars a day.
        In order to generate that time of traffic without paying, whether you use a traffic generating plugin or software or pay an SEO company. You will have to pay somethng.

        The other issue i will like to address is the issue of a newbie. Most people in the IM industry think of a newbie as a 16-22 year old young man in his underpants, sweating at his computer 18 hours a day and can bearly afford to pay for a domain name. This can be further from the truth.
        Many newbies comes from all works of life and have been successful in other commercial activities outside the internet.

        Whether a newbie starts with traditional paid traffic such as PPC, PPV, banner ads etc or SEO depends on a whole host of factors time and investment being one of them. I personally will not touch solo ads with a badge poll. You can better conversions from other forms of traffic. I deal a great deal on this topic on my blog. My point is all depends on the individual. Both types of traffic has its attractions.
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      • Profile picture of the author Omar Saady
        that is right, paid traffic enable you see quick results however you must track your ad campaign and also you have to calculate how much cost you and how much gain
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  • Profile picture of the author thetrafficguy
    Fail fast.

    There are a lot of things you have to have besides traffic, and not all traffic is created equal. Most newbies spend all their time trying to drive free traffic that doesn't convert.

    6 months later they find out (when they start getting a trickle of traffic) that their ads don't convert, they picked the wrong keywords, or it isn't good traffic. And if the traffic DOES work then they still have to improve the rest of the process.

    Why waste 6 months spinning in circles when you could have found that out in 2 days and for $100. Think of how many campaigns you could put together and test and have running profitably in 6 months by going the paid route instead of the free route.

    And then when you have the paid traffic running and you know it works, then you work on getting free traffic.
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    • Profile picture of the author DeadRooster
      Originally Posted by thetrafficguy View Post

      Fail fast.

      There are a lot of things you have to have besides traffic, and not all traffic is created equal. Most newbies spend all their time trying to drive free traffic that doesn't convert.

      6 months later they find out (when they start getting a trickle of traffic) that their ads don't convert, they picked the wrong keywords, or it isn't good traffic. And if the traffic DOES work then they still have to improve the rest of the process.

      Why waste 6 months spinning in circles when you could have found that out in 2 days and for $100. Think of how many campaigns you could put together and test and have running profitably in 6 months by going the paid route instead of the free route.

      And then when you have the paid traffic running and you know it works, then you work on getting free traffic.
      Absolutely agree with all this. Time is so much more valuable than money (you can always get more money, but you can never get more time).

      We don't have time to mess around with trying to get free traffic just to see if something converts. Spend $50 to get some eyeballs on your page... if it doesn't convert that's too bad, but at least you didn't waste 6-months on it.
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      • Profile picture of the author kalens99
        Very good point. The free traffic methods may not be the most effective way of testing for conversions if they generate low conversions. I think a good way to test conversions is to do pay for some PPC ads for a good keyword and then decide whether it is worth investing in generating organic traffic with said keyword.

        I would never do blatant paid ads on some other website without knowing the demographic. This can not only be a waste of money, but a newbie could lose all confidence when they see they don't get any conversions.

        The problem is that just telling newbies to use paid traffic can mean they will use any paid traffic and blow their cash. I think they need some perspective on what types of paid traffic is good for them (Google or FB PPC ads) before they open up their wallet.

        Originally Posted by DeadRooster View Post

        Absolutely agree with all this. Time is so much more valuable than money (you can always get more money, but you can never get more time).

        We don't have time to mess around with trying to get free traffic just to see if something converts. Spend $50 to get some eyeballs on your page... if it doesn't convert that's too bad, but at least you didn't waste 6-months on it.
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        • Profile picture of the author JSProjects
          Originally Posted by kalens99 View Post

          Very good point. The free traffic methods may not be the most effective way of testing for conversions if they generate low conversions. I think a good way to test conversions is to do pay for some PPC ads for a good keyword and then decide whether it is worth investing in generating organic traffic with said keyword.
          That's a good point and one that I often forget to do myself. It's worth spending a few bucks (well, more than that) to see if your page / site converts for the keywords you're targeting.

          PPC is also a good way to see the REAL search counts for keywords and phrases. If you let an add run for a week or so you'll get a pretty good idea of how often the phrase you're going after is actually being searched.
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  • Profile picture of the author ExpertSEOServices
    I think if you have a small - medium budget and are starting out always go down the outsourcing/paying for traffic route. This guarantees you get a good service and are making money rather than spending hours and hours trying to achieve something and giving up.

    Its always better to see money coming in fast as it gives a good incentive to keep going.
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    • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
      Originally Posted by tayuyaa View Post

      I totally agree with Eric,

      First the #1 reason why people fail at paid traffic is because they send their traffic to an affiliate offer straight away, they dont set up a tracking system to see what works and what doenst...they dont build sales funnel...that's all...

      On a post someone said that if you sell a $10 product and you expect 3% conversion to make profit you need to pay no more to 0.30c per click, but what if you add an upsell? You can instantly pay more upfront... you can build a list of buyers etc... there is a lot do with paid traffic and 6 figures become possible once you have the skills and the bankroll

      It doesnt have to be that hard, just learn some basic such as marketing and copywriting and you can do good...

      PS: also you can start small with PPC, such as $10 per day if you want...so yes no need to burn cash...
      Hey, I totally agree. It's all about budgeting.

      Sure if you're a newbie with zero money to start out with, paid traffic is obviously unrealistic, but if you have a few grand lying around to play with, you need to use some paid traffic.

      Originally Posted by oysheee View Post

      I really dont think paid visitor can benifit any web site. It only can increase alexa ranking nothing else. I will suggest every one to concentrate at seo. Not at paid traffic.
      Seriously?

      I think you're out of your mind...

      Originally Posted by thetrafficguy View Post

      Fail fast.

      There are a lot of things you have to have besides traffic, and not all traffic is created equal. Most newbies spend all their time trying to drive free traffic that doesn't convert.

      6 months later they find out (when they start getting a trickle of traffic) that their ads don't convert, they picked the wrong keywords, or it isn't good traffic. And if the traffic DOES work then they still have to improve the rest of the process.

      Why waste 6 months spinning in circles when you could have found that out in 2 days and for $100. Think of how many campaigns you could put together and test and have running profitably in 6 months by going the paid route instead of the free route.

      And then when you have the paid traffic running and you know it works, then you work on getting free traffic.
      Exactly. It's like I said, to increase your odds for success, double your rate of failure. It's a great strategy and I'm glad I'm not the only one that sees it.

      Originally Posted by ExpertSEOServices View Post

      I think if you have a small - medium budget and are starting out always go down the outsourcing/paying for traffic route. This guarantees you get a good service and are making money rather than spending hours and hours trying to achieve something and giving up.

      Its always better to see money coming in fast as it gives a good incentive to keep going.
      Right, even if that money isn't profit, just revenue. Just having a conversion now and again helps make the battle feel more meaningful.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Z
    Well. people has to experiment, if it does not work, go for another strategy, either for newbies or experts
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  • Profile picture of the author The Coffee King
    Most newbies could never rap their minds around free traffic. But most of them also don't have any money that's why their newbies! Duh!
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    • Profile picture of the author JSProjects
      Originally Posted by The Coffee King View Post

      Most newbies could never rap their minds around free traffic. But most of them also don't have any money that's why their newbies! Duh!
      Definitely true. But there's plenty of PPC vouchers floating around that could help them get their feet wet. Maybe even turn a small profit.
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  • Profile picture of the author mayagracie
    There are definetely better ways to get leads. Free ad postings are not always effective, if at all. Attraction marketing is HUGE!!! Establish a relationship, build trust. Find out what peoples needs and wants are. Closing the deal is the verrry last step.
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  • Profile picture of the author Robbie B
    Where were you a couple of years back? Wish I'd have heard advice like that before. Especially for targetting specific pages for building a list. The money I've spent learning the ropes in different areas for SEO, traffic generation, AdSense and on...and on...and on!

    If even part of that was spent on sending traffic to pages and testing, I wouldn't be where I'm at now.

    At least paid, (never done it though), but from everything I've heard, it's scalable and reliable. Wish I'd dipped my feet in when I had the money.
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  • Profile picture of the author PPC-Coach
    Couldn't agree more.

    People waste so much time on "free" traffic. It's not free if it costs you time. Time that would be better spent actually having a chance to make some money. If you can outsource all your "free" traffic generation, that's way better then sitting there building links all day long. Google can wipe you out in a heartbeat with free traffic.

    With paid there's more to it then just adwords. You can start small and reinvest, but the key is you'll be giving yourself a chance to see something versus waiting 6 months only to find out how hard SEO really is.

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  • Profile picture of the author NicoleBeckett
    Some great points in the OP... I hope the newbies are listening!

    I did some PPC when I first started. Since I didn't have a ton of money to spend on it, I promised myself that I was only going to do it until I could learn more about SEO and learn about other ways to drive traffic. I definitely got some business out of it, but I'm glad that I don't have to use it anymore.

    I think if cash-strapped newbies go into with a solid budget and a solid time frame in mind (like "I'm only going to spend $300 a month, for the next 3 months"), then it becomes alot less "big and scary". And, by giving yourself a deadline, you're forcing yourself to go out and take other proactive action.

    And, remember, you have to spend money to make money. If you opened a brick and mortar business, you would have to invest money to get it going. Working on the web is no different!
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  • Profile picture of the author JKflipflop
    My experience with Solo Ads has been really good in the past. It is one of the forms of paid traffic which I came across really late - but as they say, better late than never.
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  • Profile picture of the author thetrafficguy
    This has become an interesting thread.

    Some really good info, some really bad info... and then some nonsense
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  • Profile picture of the author gasman
    I think it's good to have a mix of both because you never know when one method will vanish. I actually always use paid methods when first starting a project so I can see if SEO and other free methods are even worth my time. However, many newbies come here because they are desperate and don't have the money to spend.
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  • Profile picture of the author IMSince2003
    I've made some very good money with Adsense. I've made really good money with paid advertising. There's absolutely no reason to limit yourself. Starting out, paid traffic will give you instant results. You'll know if your landing page is a piece of c*** or if it's da bomb in no time. I buy spots on blogs all the time. Don't let the fear of failure stop you. I've also seen solo ads for under $30. C'mon, if you don't have $30 to test a landing page, then work 10-20 hours/day writing articles for EZA and we'll see you in a few months writing a "I Give up! IM Doesn't Work! It's all a SCAM!!" post on the main forum.
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    • Profile picture of the author cjreynolds
      Alright! I've been avoiding paid traffic, but y'all are gonna drag me into it! :p

      So where's a good place to learn about solo ads?
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      • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
        Originally Posted by socomplete View Post

        From my experience, I reached a $99 revenue $45 day profit with paid traffic as an affiliate. I think that having paid and free traffic integrated into a traffic generation plan is always smart.

        The best source of traffic is a responsive email list though.
        Imagine your profits promoting your own products. That's not just a profit, that's a full time income at that point, plus a list.

        Originally Posted by Troy_Phillips View Post

        The default advice of do keyword research .. get as close to an EMD for a long tail ... Write articles until your are blue in the face .. is a major factor in newbie failure.
        It really is. I don't even mind writing articles but man I wish I'd have done it differently starting out.

        Originally Posted by Robbie B View Post

        Where were you a couple of years back? Wish I'd have heard advice like that before. Especially for targetting specific pages for building a list. The money I've spent learning the ropes in different areas for SEO, traffic generation, AdSense and on...and on...and on!

        If even part of that was spent on sending traffic to pages and testing, I wouldn't be where I'm at now.

        At least paid, (never done it though), but from everything I've heard, it's scalable and reliable. Wish I'd dipped my feet in when I had the money.
        So go make some more money and try it out. It's never too late!

        Originally Posted by cjreynolds View Post

        Alright! I've been avoiding paid traffic, but y'all are gonna drag me into it! :p

        So where's a good place to learn about solo ads?
        Depends on your niche.

        Some niches you just gotta Google it.

        Others you can look through directories or guides. It's tough. I'd search the WF for more details.
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  • Profile picture of the author kalens99
    Eric, this can be good advice. However, it can also be dangerous. People who don't know how to drive free traffic are likely not to get anything out of paid traffic. They could blow that wad very fast and end up with nothing. It could be a learning experience, but a costly one that they get nothing out of it. But I agree that waiting a year with free traffic may not work either. Maybe there is some middle ground? Experiment with free traffic, get the feel for the ropes and then start doing free traffic for a little. A little experimenting with free traffic might give you an idea of what kinds of sites and keywords convert, which will help you invest your paid marketing more effectively.
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    • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
      Originally Posted by kalens99 View Post

      Eric, this can be good advice. However, it can also be dangerous.
      Welcome to entrepreneurship.
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  • Profile picture of the author Larrypoll
    Well Generally the paid traffic is Good for Newbies but i will recommend them to go with SEO strategies like Social Book marking , link building , Blog posting , Forum posting and many others techniques . This will help them to Generate free tremendous traffic and will help in increasing page rank .
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  • Profile picture of the author trilogy9013
    Paid traffic is def. a great way to market but like some of the above have mentioned you do need to understand it a little bit. I'm not saying it is extremely difficult, but just make sure you take the time to learn a little bit before putting your life savings at risk.

    I think the problem with paid traffic is that everyone assumes that your talking about google adwords when you talk about paid traffic. Adwords is a great way to lose all of your money if you dont know what your doing and i do not recommend it at all. However, there are a lot of other paid traffic sources out there that are great and much cheaper than adwords.

    All in all, paid traffic is extremely lucrative once you understand it and get a few profitable campaigns going. Idk that i would say paid traffic is better for newbies. Perhaps better for newbies who have a bigger spending pocket and who would rather risk money then time. However, most people get in to IM because they don't have much money and this kinda throws the idea of newbies starting with paid traffic out the window.

    I do like it, but it isn't for everyone.....right away anyways. But like i said, paid traffic is awesome and if you have a little extra money don't be afraid to invest in your learning and take the leap. Quick way to make some serious cash!
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  • Profile picture of the author Nick Lotter
    I think a good middle ground would be to set up your offer and sales funnel, and do some forum posting and other free traffic methods until you have had 100-200 visitors, which I know isn't a lot, but will at least give you some idea of what your conversion rate is. Then you can calculate, based on your conversion rates, how much you can afford to spend per click for PPC traffic and what other paid traffic sources could be worth to you. Once you've got some consistent paid traffic coming in, you can do some testing to improve conversion rates and profits.
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  • Profile picture of the author Des Lau
    IMO paid traffic directed in the right arena is a fantastic way to start off. Building momentum is crucial because as a newbie you don't want to feel like things are moving too slow = hopelessness. To grow your lists at fast rates, I would spend the money, but everyone's situation is different. Perform due diligence and mix up the traffic sources and track everything!
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  • Profile picture of the author pmg2712
    Perfect post for my todays thought.. I had an idea to create a website with few posts and check if it can convert with Paid ads.. yes, paid ads are like ocean, it can eat as much money as you can imagine.. but if you know what you are doing they are helpful.. I will update again after a couple of days if I get success in what I am doing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ashley C
    I personally think it's a good idea for newbies to work on free traffic methods, simply because they can learn a lot from doing it. Reading about IM is one thing, but actually doing it is another.

    Your post is good, it makes a great point, but perhaps working on free traffic can just be considered part of the IM learning process before actually investing. Just my 2 cents anyway.
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    • Profile picture of the author JSProjects
      Originally Posted by Ashley C View Post

      I personally think it's a good idea for newbies to work on free traffic methods, simply because they can learn a lot from doing it. Reading about IM is one thing, but actually doing it is another.

      Your post is good, it makes a great point, but perhaps working on free traffic can just be considered part of the IM learning process before actually investing. Just my 2 cents anyway.
      I agree here. At the very least it's good to have a grasp on the whole process.

      But, then again, there's plenty of people that purely focus on PPC and do well. So I guess it's just personal preference. I'd prefer to not have to rely 100% on PPC. But I know there are others who are extremely successful with a purely PPC business model.
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  • Profile picture of the author affiliateg
    I wouldn't recommend paid traffic to newbies, because of their lack of experience. There are a lot of scams out there offering you real traffic but you are getting "fake" traffic instead...or if they are real people they probably come from places where they have some benefits clicking on the ads/links and no interest at all in your content...Just open your site and leave..
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    • Profile picture of the author Aussie_Al
      Complete agree with the OP the only thing I would add is:

      Look into dropping $5-$10 on a WSO on adwords , solo ads etc before you spend money

      I was very lucky when i started in paid advertising to pick up 2 great WSO's one on the display network, one on the Search network

      Both were amazing and only cost me a few bucks at the time.
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  • Profile picture of the author Douggie
    Some of your points make sense Cataclysm1987 but I would definitely not go as far to say paid traffic is "better" to start with.

    You're acting like all newbies come to this game with a tonne of cash to invest which I think you'll find is not the case at all. Most people HAVE to start out by dipping their feet in the water rather then diving straight into the deep end.

    Yes I get that business is about risk and rada rada rada but there's nothing wrong with testing the waters with some free traffic methods before you throw hundreds of dollars at something when you don't even have the skills of designing a website, writing copy, creating a product or anything.

    You keep saying "Solo Ads!! Solo Ads!!" but from what I've found nearly all solo ads are for the IM niche... which is a terrible niche for newbies to get into (you've got to learn the craft before you promote it well!!).

    Other than the occasional "weight loss" solo ad service I've found that 99% of solo ads are for IM related niche... not really helpful for the newbie that wants to try to find their own little niche.

    I'm not saying you can't succeed with paid traffic as a newbie but I definitely don't agree with the dozens of posts here saying "I agree!! Just throw money at paid traffic noobs!!"... if you are a real newbie (and are yet to acquire the skills and knowledge that it takes to be successful) then you'll find it's not nearly as easy as some of the people in this thread makes it sound.

    Remember a lot of newbies are coming to this because they're struggling financially don't have the extra cash to just throw around like that!!
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    • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
      Originally Posted by Douggie View Post

      Some of your points make sense Cataclysm1987 but I would definitely not go as far to say paid traffic is "better" to start with.

      You're acting like all newbies come to this game with a tonne of cash to invest which I think you'll find is not the case at all. Most people HAVE to start out by dipping their feet in the water rather then diving straight into the deep end.

      Yes I get that business is about risk and rada rada rada but there's nothing wrong with testing the waters with some free traffic methods before you throw hundreds of dollars at something when you don't even have the skills of designing a website, writing copy, creating a product or anything.

      You keep saying "Solo Ads!! Solo Ads!!" but from what I've found nearly all solo ads are for the IM niche... which is a terrible niche for newbies to get into (you've got to learn the craft before you promote it well!!).

      Other than the occasional "weight loss" solo ad service I've found that 99% of solo ads are for IM related niche... not really helpful for the newbie that wants to try to find their own little niche.

      I'm not saying you can't succeed with paid traffic as a newbie but I definitely don't agree with the dozens of posts here saying "I agree!! Just throw money at paid traffic noobs!!"... if you are a real newbie (and are yet to acquire the skills and knowledge that it takes to be successful) then you'll find it's not nearly as easy as some of the people in this thread makes it sound.

      Remember a lot of newbies are coming to this because they're struggling financially don't have the extra cash to just throw around like that!!
      I think you might have been misinformed once or twice here so I'll define some of these things a little better.

      I'm not saying paid traffic is 100 percent better for newbies, it's just that I know more millionaires that have gotten where they are from making products, recruiting affiliates and using PPC or solo ads than blog commenting all day long.

      Know any blog commenting millionaires? Didn't think so.

      And you might as well start where the real money is. You should begin with an end in mind, not with a temporary plan that will hold you over until the "real money" arrives.

      Does that make paid traffic better for newbies?

      Yes, in a lot of ways. Not 100 percent better, but definitely not worse.

      And as far as the IM niche being bad for newbies, again, I disagree. People think it is, but the reality is there are hundreds of sub niches within the IM niche that any newbie can thrive in. Examples include:

      -Blogging
      -SEO
      -PPC
      -Social media marketing
      -CPA
      -Affiliate marketing
      -List building
      -Membership sites
      -Software
      -Wordpress

      And on and on and on.

      Of course, the MAKE MONEY ONLINE niche is crazy if you are just offering people general advice on how to make cash online, but any of the above niches within the IM niche would be perfect for a newbie, so I fail to see why you're convinced we all need to a PHD in internet marketing to get some decent money in this market.
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      • Profile picture of the author Douggie
        Originally Posted by Cataclysm1987 View Post

        I'm not saying paid traffic is 100 percent better for newbies, it's just that I know more millionaires that have gotten where they are from making products, recruiting affiliates and using PPC or solo ads than blog commenting all day long.
        I thought this thread was about what's best for newbies? I totally agree that paid traffic is a much faster track to millionaire status but that's a different thing altogether... I'm talking about what's best for people who haven't made any money yet and are totally new to the game.

        Originally Posted by Cataclysm1987 View Post

        Know any blog commenting millionaires? Didn't think so.
        No but again this is a bit off topic. I'm talking about good starting points for newbies not "how to become a millionaire". Most newbies want to start making a few hundred before they try to make a mill?

        And keep in mind that "free traffic" doesn't equal "blog commenting". There's a lot of viable strategies to generate lots of free traffic out there that don't involve manually commenting on a bunch of blogs. I'm guessing you're not much of an SEO guy - you'd be amazed at how much free traffic you can get from that. Also look up article syndication - lots of free traffic available there too. Or if you're a slick video maker with a nack for making entertaining/viral videos YouTube is a pretty sweet way to drive free traffic.

        There are endless options out there... just focusing on "blog commenting" is a pretty narrow way to look at it.

        Originally Posted by Cataclysm1987 View Post

        And you might as well start where the real money is. You should begin with an end in mind, not with a temporary plan that will hold you over until the "real money" arrives.
        Again. There's money in all sorts of traffic... not just "paid" traffic. Just because you pay for a visitor it doesn't mean that a visitor is necessarily going to convert better then one that you get from a free source. And the same goes for free traffic being only good for "temporary" plans... guess what - list building, brand building, blog building, product development and promoting can ALL work with free traffic too. In fact often the people that I talk to that are using SEO, article syndication or some other free form of traffic have a much longer term business plan than the PPC guys that I talk to that go for that one time CPA sale instead of trying to build it up. I'm not saying that this is always the case I'm just saying that you are kind of pigeonholing free traffic into this and that category when it's not really true.

        I can guarantee you that it can be just as profitable and works just and can be used to build up longer term projects in just the same way.

        Originally Posted by Cataclysm1987 View Post

        I fail to see why you're convinced we all need to a PHD in internet marketing to get some decent money in this market.
        Okay fair enough. Newbies can get into the "Internet Marketing" niche if they want to. It's pretty competitive but meh. I'm mainly just trying to point out to the newbies out there getting started that unless they want to jump into the IM niche - which most probably wont - then your recommended paid traffic source isn't going to be very useful.

        In short: I would have totally agreed if your point was just that paid traffic shouldn't be totally discounted. I just don't agree that paid traffic is necessarily "better" for most newbies to start out with. A lot of newbies quite successfully start with free traffic, pick up some basic skills and then move onto paid traffic later on when they find their feet.
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        • Profile picture of the author PPC-Coach
          With paid traffic you're buying time.

          If you are a newbie and you don't want to spend a dime to make money, (how does that saying go? Spend money to make money!), then taking the free route is attractive on the surface. That's your goal and it ties in nicely, not spending a penny but expecting big bucks in return, (second hint: life does not work that way). So you putter around trying to generate as much free traffic as you can, (you never get anything substantial because it takes big bucks to get big "free" traffic), and end up wasting 1 year, then 2 years then by year 3 you think maybe you should try paid traffic instead.

          That is a realization that newbies should come to far quicker, but the draw of making a fortune without spending a dime is too big for them to overcome. When you buy traffic, you don't wait 3 to 6 months to see anything from your work. You see results, (or lack of), immediately.

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        • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
          Originally Posted by Douggie View Post

          No but again this is a bit off topic. I'm talking about good starting points for newbies not "how to become a millionaire". Most newbies want to start making a few hundred before they try to make a mill?
          It's still very critical to begin with an end in mind.

          If you do things in a small way and hope for a few bucks, you will be lucky if you even end up with half what you aimed for.

          If you do things big and aren't afraid to take risks, the limits for your rewards are so much fewer.

          This is the millionaire mindset. Even newbies just trying to make a few bucks need to have it, period, or you'll be lucky to make 5 dollars.

          Originally Posted by Douggie View Post

          In short: I would have totally agreed if your point was just that paid traffic shouldn't be totally discounted. I just don't agree that paid traffic is necessarily "better" for most newbies to start out with. A lot of newbies quite successfully start with free traffic, pick up some basic skills and then move onto paid traffic later on when they find their feet.
          And a lot more newbies do free traffic forever, never see anything happen, never know if they are doing things right or wrong because they end up with almost no traffic to even figure that out, and quit a year later with no money and no idea whether they were doing things right or wrong because their free traffic strategies generated them a useless trickle of untargeted visitors instead of laser targeted traffic you can get with paid traffic.

          Which sounds like a better way to fail: fast and hard or slow and grueling?
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  • Profile picture of the author greenowl123
    Love this thread ! I started out in I.M. using both free methods (free classified ads) which made me a few bucks and tried paid advertising (adwords and other ppc) and lost money fast. Since then I have always been leery of paid advertising, especially PPC. I have tried paid banner ads without much success also.

    So I have mostly used "free" traffic, but moved away from free classified ads, to SEO and getting my blogs ranked on 1st page of SERPs.

    I have become very good at SEO, after making lots of mistakes and learning the tricks of the trade. Now I routinely find good keywords with moderate to low competition, and create a blog, use my little known techniques for building backlinks effectively and safely, and get each blog onto 1st page of SERPs within a couple weeks to a couple months later. It was not easy to learn, but after lots of trial and error I did learn how to do it. Of course it is not "free traffic" and I admit that, since I do have to outsource my backlinking tasks, but the cost is usually 5 to 10 of my favorite gigs on Fiverr, used in the correct order, timed correctly, etc.

    I know that if I learned the tricks of the trade on PPC or other "paid" advertising methods, I could also get a ROI.

    I wonder if learning PPC or buying solo ads or banner ads would be a steeper learning curve than learning SEO and how to rank blogs in the SERPs ?
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnRozario
    I seo my site to gain organic traffic, ofcourse its takes time, but i think it is worth it.
    I never entered into the Paid traffic, Any good Paid traffic guide that you guys suggest?
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  • Profile picture of the author BigGameHunter
    Very interesting topic. But most have a misconception of traffic. Obviously there is no "One-Size-Fits-All" answer to this topic.

    I see conversations like this all the time and it drives me nuts. An analogy out side of internet marketing will explain my concept. I use to shoot competition archery. People who didn't have money had to buy their equipment one piece at a time. They had to learn how to build a bow first. Some it took six months to get enough money to buy the bow. Then they bought the cheapest parts on the market. Then they had to learn to shoot a bow that wasn't nor could be turned properly and results they got were dismal.

    On the other hand I had money, my buddy and his friend were State champions they put together a shopping list for me and when the parts came in they tuned my new bow perfectly. I didn't buy the most expensive parts but I also didn't waste money on trial an error either. From day one... All I had to do was learn to shoot the thing. With their guidance, within three months I was shooting at a very high level.

    We also race cars. Traffic on the internet is like the gasoline in your car. If we can't afford gas we can't test our motor. And if you can afford the gasoline it is not going to make the car go fast if you have a cheap motor. If you can't afford to buy traffic your results are going to be slow and dismal because it takes 10 times longer to test your motor (landing page).

    If you can afford to buy the traffic and your a newbie then I agree... Paid traffic will tell you if your motor (landing page/squeeze page) is working... Quickly.

    I can't shoot archery or build race cars and be competitive for free or a $10 budget. You can't do it on the internet either. If you don't have traffic... traffic is not the problem but a symptom of your budget. Fix your budget... the traffic will follow.
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  • Profile picture of the author vijai
    one should precisely target before considering paid traffics.
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  • Profile picture of the author luane
    As a newbie, I burned through tons of cash on Adwords, media buys and other paid traffic. What I really needed was a coach to tell me HOW to spend my money on paid ads. Thank goodness, I found one! Paid traffic is the holy grail of traffic and sales, but you need to have that direction!
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    • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
      Originally Posted by luane View Post

      As a newbie, I burned through tons of cash on Adwords, media buys and other paid traffic. What I really needed was a coach to tell me HOW to spend my money on paid ads. Thank goodness, I found one! Paid traffic is the holy grail of traffic and sales, but you need to have that direction!
      Thanks! See this is what I am talking about when I say it's better.

      Sure, you needed a coach and you did burn through some cash, but I still think it's better to burn cash than time.

      And just for the record, I think everyone should get a coach, regardless of whether you choose to do paid or free traffic. Don't go into it blindly. Get a plan, track your progress and manage it like a business.
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      • Profile picture of the author Spartacus
        Originally Posted by Cataclysm1987 View Post

        Thanks! See this is what I am talking about when I say it's better.

        Sure, you needed a coach and you did burn through some cash, but I still think it's better to burn cash than time.

        And just for the record, I think everyone should get a coach, regardless of whether you choose to do paid or free traffic. Don't go into it blindly. Get a plan, track your progress and manage it like a business.
        And where do we find such a coach for paid traffic?

        What do you guys think of Microsoft Ad Center?
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  • Profile picture of the author Osman_M
    Man, this thread is so awesome! This is one of those hidden truths which is hidden newbies I feel. Once I started concentrating on paid traffic, it changed the whole ball game. Ofcourse, I did build up some revenue at first to generate capital.
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  • Profile picture of the author fedor50
    In my opinion it depends on the individual. If he has experience and knows what he's doing then paid traffic isn't a bad idea. If it's a noob then I would first focus on free traffic methods.
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    • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
      Originally Posted by fedor50 View Post

      In my opinion it depends on the individual. If he has experience and knows what he's doing then paid traffic isn't a bad idea. If it's a noob then I would first focus on free traffic methods.
      Did you even read my post...?
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      • Profile picture of the author Leiif
        Informative thread. Thanks for starting it.
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  • Profile picture of the author rickzep
    You can start with $5 per day and pause the campaign after 100 clicks to analyze what happened. As long as you use a tracking system like prosper 202, you will know what is working and what is not. Also, you can use a service like hit tail, that tracks the keywords people used to find your website.

    Once you have bought enough traffic you will have a nice list which you can add to your keywords list and also write SEO articles on your blog to get more of that traffic for free. Also, you can use the demographics features using Adwords reports to create new ad groups using those demographics. Over time you will drill down and have the right information to improve your landing page for conversions. This is the key to the universe. It's about learning to grow through improvement as a process through time. You can only do this through using spreadsheets to see the big picture. This process will change you and allow you to see beyond man's wisdom so the next time you start a campaign you will have experience. This is what they call a prophet that can see the future. That's why you are making a profit. If you are guessing you are shooting in the dark while your best competitors are using night vision.

    What I did was spend a year researching tracking systems, ppc math, keyword tracking, conversion tracking, etc. Anything that could help me track every aspect of the marketing process from ad click to landing page to optin, to email follow up to sale to life time value of the customer. Once I got a system that worked in a particular niche and it was converting well and optimized for the highest converting keywords and landing pages and proftiable $$$, I was then able to go back and SEO for those keywords knowing that those keywords convert well for those landing pages. At this point you can pay a professional SEO firm good money knowing that you will make your money back because they convert.

    See how i worked backwards while doing the the SEO myself for the easy long tail traffic moving forwards and backwards in space-time relativity, i re-engineered success through using systems and knowledge and predictability. As Martin would say, wazzup wuzzup. Good luck?

    Btw, I checked free credit report dot com and they were using a tracking system that cost around 30k to 50k algorithm based intelligence. That tells you how important tracking is and where the future of internet marketing is going.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tony983
    I agree paid traffic is the way to go in building a list fast.
    Free traffic just takes to long,that's why a lot of Newbies give up,and quit
    IM all together.You have to take risk in order to be successful in this business
    The bigger the risk .....The bigger the reward.
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  • Profile picture of the author celente
    This is a great thread and I recommend all newbies go back and read this.

    I remember being scared of PPC once, and now I love it. WHY? because you are saving time and swapping it for money.

    My latest PPC campaign I started in January was losing me $20 a day. I knew the niche was good and my offer was killer and with testing and tweaking I can say that that $20 loss a day turned into about $40 profit each and every day....and if I told you what I tweaked you would laugh cause it only took about 20 minutes of my time.

    Testing and tweaking is mandatory if you do PPC, but most people fail because they do not do this.

    PPC is great especially if you have even a little big of money. Do not be scared, the big guys here in oz, that really kill it online, and I mean have $xxx,xxx a year business do not get rich like that doing article marketing. They all use PPC, PPV, CPA or some form of media buys and paid traffic.

    Hope this helps.
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  • Profile picture of the author JerrickYeoh
    Yes. I agree that go with paid traffic but don't forget to build free traffic as well.
    As start up, free traffic is hard to generate and it take time. Everyone know that SEO can bring lot of free traffic but not immediate effect. It is long term marketing strategies.
    Paid Traffic atleast give your business survive with the profit that you can make from the paid traffic. The profit might not that high but better than nothing.
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  • Profile picture of the author veheme
    Thanks man. Always helpful to read a quality post.
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  • Profile picture of the author owenlee
    Agreed totally...with money on hand, you can try many different methods and see which works well for you too...this will save you plenty of time and you may even starting earning once you start getting the traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author simon15
    Paid traffic is great for the guys selling the links but the best way is to learn to do it for yourself, the hard way.
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  • Profile picture of the author Noel Cunningham
    Nice post Eric - sure paid traffic WILL get you up and running faster than waiting, and waiting, and waiting:rolleyes: for the first bit of organic traffic to find your site.

    But key here is to study and be comfortable with whatever sort of paid traffic you go for. If it's PPC then you better be ready to sit down and learn all there is to learn about it, if you just jump head-first into then you'll burn through your dollars very quickly.

    Just a little "Buyer Beware" notice there but yes, if you got the cash and understand the system then paid traffic can be very good for you and your site.
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  • Profile picture of the author barryjames
    Absolutley fascinating. I have read every comment. Best thread I have gone through on the WF
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  • Profile picture of the author Roy Siew
    I would agree with Cata. I think paid traffic is perfectly fine for newbies especially if it's to get proof that the concept works - provided they have a proper plan and budget, and the discipline to stick to it. In fact, I started with paid traffic!
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  • Profile picture of the author Yawg Dawg
    Paid traffic is a good thing and will get results quicker. I'd rather have money rolling in while waiting for the free traffic to kick in instead of no money coming in while waiting for free traffic. All of the guru's and super affiliates use paid traffic and spend thousands a day on paid traffic. It take money to make money. I totally agree with keep stats and split testing when doing the paid traffic. By split testing you can drop the losers real quick before losing much money and amp up the winners and make the money. Everyone talks about solo ads, PPC and media buys. You can use offline sources like newspapers and classified ads, radio ads and tv spots. but solo ads would proobably best to start making money and building a list.

    When I started online I had a used 286 desktop and internet chat was the big thing. Dial up service thru a modem was the only way to get online. Then there was Prodigy and AOL came along and they charged for actual time you were in the chat rooms. People would get $1700 bilss from AOL for just 1 month.

    "Google" was non existent!! Email was the big thing to sell stuff on the net. But when PPC came out Yahoo was the big thing and it was pennies for a click. Hmmm,,,,wished we could go back to that.

    Anyway,,,I use paid traffic and would never give it up and I reccomend it for everyone.
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    • Profile picture of the author cjreynolds
      It's not often that one thread causes me to completely change my mind about a strategy or method. But this thread has caused me to totally rethink my stance on paid traffic.

      Until now I've been avoiding paid traffic like the plague - when I read a report that starts goin off into paid traffic my eyes glaze over and I close the report and find something else to read.

      But I'm goin for it now - Thanks, y'all! This is why I hang out at the WF

      joe
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  • Profile picture of the author trafficmasters
    outsource your seo work with the profits, then you can move onto a new site
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  • Profile picture of the author blittler1
    My initial foray into the IM arena was with PPC and I got hits, but no conversions and blah, blah, blah. Even after a course in PPC I did it mostly wrong and ran out of money. From then until recently I went all free, all the time. As they say in the movies, "not much fun in Stalingrad". I had little traffic and no opt-ins, but I kept very busy achieving nothing. I finally found a mentor and tweaked the free side while adding a blend of solo ad sources. The difference is over a couple thousand clicks this month, 40 opt-ins, and a couple of sales (paid for the mentoring, not the ads so far). But it made clear that I needed to get better at writing copy and squeeze page design. You can't figure that out waiting for your first hundred free clicks.

    Even a modest budget of $50 to $100(100 clicks for $10 (moderate quality) to 125 clicks for $40 (good quality)) every monthWill make a huge difference in your business. Newletter ads, finding a Co-Op to rotate your squeeze page through, PPC or banner ads, along with the free methods (free solo, PPC, Banner, newsletters) will get you moving faster and making money. At least that has been my experience.

    Bill
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  • Profile picture of the author AbrahamGuzman
    Yes you are correct, when investing money onto a business you either fail or you succeed so chances are going to be 50/50, overall it is a huge lesson to be learned
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  • Profile picture of the author dizen
    From my understanding, solo ad ... is one of the best traffic source for IM related niche ...

    But what if your niche is not related to IM ?

    How to buy traffic to niche not related to IM other than PPC/PPV ?
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    • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
      Originally Posted by dizen View Post

      From my understanding, solo ad ... is one of the best traffic source for IM related niche ...

      But what if your niche is not related to IM ?

      How to buy traffic to niche not related to IM other than PPC/PPV ?

      There are Newsletters in just about every niche you would want to market in. A great resource to find them is the Directory of Ezines. You can also search out opt-in forms for the niche you market in... Most people who have a list are willing to accept that guaranteed cash for a Solo Ad.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    This is interesting to me, because when I first got into the WF I was getting alot of my teaching from Perry Marshall, and Im sure it was me and not him, but I lost my rear end for months before finally giving up...

    Maybe now with some more IM maturity this is worth a try?
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    • Profile picture of the author justinthomsony
      Well, it's the matter of money, If you have enough money, you can choose the paid option. It really drives traffic to your site. But according to my sense, newbie hasn't much amount of money, so they should go for unpaid strategies. As E-mail marketing and SEO strategies are most coolest option to drive massive traffic to our site.
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  • Profile picture of the author elexmedia
    The best thing about Paid Traffic:

    You could see the results TODAY (immediately) and it's easy to scalable

    Compared with SEO, you need to wait for months to see the results.
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    Find it on:
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  • Profile picture of the author Mr Lim
    Haha, nice thread you've got there!

    Somehow, free traffic are not simple. Everything, including WF the forum itself was advertised and hence you guys was brought here.

    Originally Posted by elexmedia View Post

    The best thing about Paid Traffic:

    You could see the results TODAY (immediately) and it's easy to scalable

    Compared with SEO, you need to wait for months to see the results.

    Great say!
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  • Profile picture of the author eman1
    Newbies can burn through a ton of money fast with pay per click marketing if they don't know what they are doing. So paid traffic can be very dangerous for a newbie. But I do understand your point.

    If a newbie is going to try pay per click marketing I would suggest that they take the time to research pay per click marketing and maybe even purchase a training course on it. I would also suggest that they set a modest daily and weekly marketing budget and stick to it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rick Britton
    I am about to start using Adwords for the first time

    are there any useful guides, e-books, trainings I can get to avoid the pitfalls and come out in front?
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  • Profile picture of the author EvcRo
    PPC traffic for newbies is like recommending wrestling moves to 8 years old kids

    Are you a google employee trying to suck more adwords money or what ?
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    • Profile picture of the author Cataclysm1987
      Originally Posted by EvcRo View Post

      PPC traffic for newbies is like recommending wrestling moves to 8 years old kids

      Are you a google employee trying to suck more adwords money or what ?
      An interesting point considering I just got back from a grappling tournament last weekend where they had *GASP* 8 year old kids competing!!!

      And yes, I am a Google employee. I love your money.
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  • Profile picture of the author WebPen
    Why all of the hate for paid traffic?

    You don't have to set high daily limits for your campaigns- like $5 or $10/day.

    That lets you dial in on your conversions before you start spending lots of time sending free traffic.

    The most successful marketers either use paid traffic or affiliate traffic, so why not model them from the very beginning?

    Which is better- for a newbie to spend hours and hours on free traffic that doesn't convert, or a few hours and maybe $50 or $100 on paid traffic to see what works and what doesn't?
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  • Profile picture of the author Chri5123
    Paid traffic is ONLY good if you are making a return - whether you are a newbie or an experienced marketer.

    In fact the last thing I would tell someone brand new is to start paying for traffic.

    It is HARD work using free methods but in my experience if you won't put the effort in that way - then you won't build a valuable authority site either.

    I use both.

    Chris
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  • Profile picture of the author Nixgan
    Can you define in exact amount what you mean by paid traffic not costing much? I am sort of interested .
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  • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
    I think the "hate" for paid traffic comes from
    people somehow thinking they were supposed
    to make some money quickly.

    By definition, a "Newbie" has not built a
    good, solid list yet... And that is the only
    thing that is going to help them make a
    good, solid profit long term.

    The paid traffic should not be expected
    to get a quick ROI... On the contrary, it
    should be to help build the first list.

    Anything less is delusional.
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  • Profile picture of the author AlwaysAwa
    Wow another interesting thread, I spend hours reading the whole thread. Interesting very interesting.

    A newbie to me is someone who just want to start doing internet marketing, regardless young or old, have cash or not.

    I felt it a bit rude to generalist newbie as someone who are so poor they need regularly go to the library for them to do internet marketing.

    Can someone explain to me other than PPC and media buy what more there in paid traffic? thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author Rick Britton
    I started practising judo when I was 5, competing at 6 and was a National age group champion at 8 years old. I then had a full career right up until my late twenties and competed all around the world as a full time athlete

    never too early to start anything
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  • Profile picture of the author mtbux
    Yeah I agree with you. It is better than with no Traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author keithneal
    My time in IM has went like this:

    Spent the first 1.5 months using organic traffic, made cupcakes. If we look at it analytically, I lost more than I made.

    Spent the last 1 month (I've only been doing this since the beginning of February) and have only made money since, and I've yet to try Adwords. It's a bigger sandbox so I've been reading up on it, and now have a solid foundation: split testing ads in adgroups, grouping keywords, negative keywords, tracking, quality score (ctr, keyword relevance, etc), etc. So I'm just about ready to start that up.

    The key is to have the desire to actually make a living (and a lavish one at that) out of internet marketing, and then work towards it. Stop buying 3-5 WSO's a week looking for that golden nugget that's going to make you $1,000 a day with only 30 minutes of work a day. Doesn't exist.

    And I don't see why people come to IM thinking of making fortunes with no monetary investment, at it's foundation it's a business, and just like any other business you are going to have to invest before you see a return on that investment.

    Edit: I do agree that you should not just throw up a set of 2,000 keywords and expect to see any kind of ROI. That's the best way to lose your bankroll, and learn absolutely nothing in the process.
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  • Profile picture of the author samuraig
    It can be... but like JSProjects said, if they know what they're doing.

    As an addition to this conversation, a newbie would also benefit from partnering.
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    • Profile picture of the author mog320
      Yeah. I think this Google "Panda-monium" is opening up a lot of eyes, myself for one. Very good thread. I can relate to the issues with free traffic. Can take much longer to learn about conversions and marketing in general waiting on free traffic if it ever arrives.
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  • Profile picture of the author Benjamin Ehinger
    Most of the times you have seen this type of statement on the WF it is followed by recommendations on how to spend your profits to build your business. Most new marketers are so afraid to spend money on advertising that recommending free traffic methods is very important.

    Paid traffic can be better, but if it is not done right a new marketer can lose their entire budget in a hurry. This is why so many recommend free traffic methods until the new marketer has some profits to work with.

    Benjamin
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  • Profile picture of the author magnus1
    I'm with the OP on this one.

    As a reformed "free traffic" seeker it was PAINFUL driving that traffic. I'm not against SEO, but I think it's less of a risk spending a bit of cash to test if an offer converts than wasting months or years of your time building backlinks etc. only to reach the same conclusion.

    Which is the more riskier approach?

    Paid traffic does NOT have to cost much and you'd be an idiot to go and blow thousands on an untested offer. Start small, figure out your EPC then go from there.

    BTW, not ALL newbies are broke. I constantly see posts along the lines of "Hi I'm new. I have x amount of $$$ where should I start?"


    Cheers,
    Michelle
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  • Profile picture of the author mec64
    I can attest to the bulk traffic being useless. I'm doing a small case study right now with a certain traffic supplier and a mixture of 3 LP's with free offers. The low cost is really making the whole process "painless" for me, because I'm only spending around $5 for 10k+ visitors. The trick now is to find reputable traffic and test the same LP's and offers to see what quality can deliver.

    I'm new to the LP and SP thing, so I have a lot to learn, but I'm using OptimizePress which has made the whole process a lot easier in my opinion.

    I tried the whole SEO thing with AdSense ads to monetize, and it's a very, very painful process to wait for the rankings. Once I got to page 1 I noticed that I chose quite a few bad keywords to go after, which I'm sure you can imagine was quite a let down. Oh well, it was a learning process.

    I agree with both sides of the fence... there's a way for anyone to benefit from both paid and free methods, it just depends on what you do with the knowledge gained from the process. Both methods require a lot of focus and a solid plan as well. I hope this post isn't too crazy, it's late and I have the flu. Hopefully it makes sense!
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